parent liquors that have undergone any degree of fermentation. Thefe are always replete with air. Smallbeer in particular is very much fo; the particles whereof in vacuo evolve themselves and get away, notwithftanding the vifcidity of that liquor, very notably. It may be obferved alfo, that all liquors by this kind of operation become vapid and dead.

It may be farther remarked, that the bubbles compofing the froth produced by thefe experiments, always throw themselves into the form of an hexangular folid, which is the only polygon, whofe fides would every where meet, fo as to leave no vacuities between. The tubular cells, made by the bees in forming their combs, are conftantly, of this fhape. Through ducts of this kind, thofe animals can pafs with more convenience and freedom, than if they had been either fquare or triangular; and had they been of any other form, they would have been incompact, and lefs agreeable to the fagacity and contri

vance of thofe curious and fedulous little creatures.

Water even when cold, will vifibly yield a good quantity of air, when the atmosphere ceafes to prefs on its furface, with all its weight. But whenever the fpring of the incorporated air fhall be heightened by any degree of heat, it will appear to boil in the exhausted receiver, and that fo fmartly, as fometimes to make it flash over the cup.

It may in making this experiment be observed, that in this ebullition of the hot water, part of the heat will leave the water, and be communicateḍ to the receiver : whence it will appear that heat and cold are not conveyed to bodies, by the means of the air. Befides it is found on experience, that heat is propagated through a vacuum with the fame eafe, and in the fame manner as through the air; for if a thermometer be fufpended in vacuo, it will undergo precifely the fame variations with one hung near it in the open air.

While the affairs of state were thus fettling under the new government in England, the REFORMATION, which had been much favoured by many of the courtiers, but durft not be openly espoused by any in the life-time of Henry VIII. who reformed only fome things and left the moft material untouched; and was fo vigorous that he would not permit his fubjects to differ in opinion from him, or, at least, not to fhew it; was publickly countenanced by them, as foon as his death was published; and evening prayers began to be read in English in the King's chapel on Eafter-monday, though the laws made in the late reign were ftill in force; the Earl of Hertford and

Archbishop Cranmer being at the head of the reformers, there could be no doubt of the young King's confent, who had been carefully educated by Dr. Cox in the gofpel principles of reformation.

In the Council, the Protector and the Archbishop of Canterbury declared in favour of the reformation, and were powerfully feconded without by Dr. Holgate, Archbishop of York; Holbeach, Bishop of Lincoln: Goodrick, Bishop of Ely; Dr. Ridley and Dr. Latimer, who was discharged from his confinement. They were oppofed in this great work by Wriothefly, Earl of Southampton; Tonftal, Bishop of Durham; Bonner, Bishop of

K

London;

London; Gardiner, Bishop of Winchefter, with many other bishops and Ecclefiafticks, or friars, that had been recommended to livings, at the diffolution of their refpective monafteries. But the Protector being fure of the King and majority of the Council, and withal having obtained the power mentioned on p. 26, Vol. IV, he refolved to improve a conjuncture fo favourable to the Proteftant religion. The first step was to appoint Vifitors of all the churches in every diocefe, which were divided on that occafion into fix circuits, with power to abolifh certain grofs abuses introduced into the divine fervice, and to take down and deftroy all images. And this may properly be faid to be the ་ firft effectual and fincere ftep taken in England by the crown, for a thorough reformation. While this commiffion was making out, the good Archbishop, Dr. Cranmer, compofed a book of homilies. which were published twice this fame year (1547) and appointed to be read in churches for the edification of the people, and their inftruction in the doctrines of the gospel, inftead of the legendary fermons, &c. with which an ignorant and fuperftitious clergy had before captivated their understandings. All which acts of Council, andious endeavours of the good Archbishop and his affociates in the reformation, had their defired effect.

This protector, who is to be confidered the chief actor in all, both civil, ecclefiaftic, and military affairs at this time, was eldeft fon of Sir John Seymour, of Wolf-hall, Wiltshire, by Elizabeth or (according to the ingenious and learned Antiquarian, Mr. Collins) Margaret, daughter of Sir Henry Wentworth, of Nettlefed, in Suffolk. Anthony Wood fays, that he was educated at Oxford, which Univerfity he left to acompany the Duke of Suffolk in his expedition into France, A. D. 1533, by whom he was knighted on the firit of November

that fame year, as the faid learnedMr. Collins obferves on p. 29, Vol. I. of his Peerage of England. But his further promotions, tho' he did not want fufficient recommendations to his Prince's favour, by his martial atchievements, which King Henry VIII. much encouraged, were owing to his fifter's marriage to the faid King (fee Vol. III. p. 70.) immediately upon which, this Edward Seymour was created viscount Beauchamp, being de fcended from that houfe, in the female line; Earl of Hertford, on the 11th of Oa. 1537; Knight of the Garter in the year 1540; Lord great Chamberlain for life in 1542; Lieutenant-General of the north in 1544, and was appointed by King Henry, one of the fixteen to govern the kingdom, during King Edward's minority, having greatly recommended himself to that humourfome and unstable Mo→ narch by his fervices in the wars againft France and Scotland, as well as in the cabinet, and by his feeming punctual acquiefcence to the King's religion, which, he knew, it was most dangerous to oppofe, both as to his own perfon, and the work of reformation; to which he was a wellwisher in his heart. In this Zenith of his royal mafter's favour the nation obferved him with great regard, at the time that death cut off the father, and made way to the throne for Edw. the fon whom Henry had by the Earl's fifter, Jane Seymour; fo that being uncle to the young King, and in the good graces of the nation, it was no wonder he met with fo little difficulty to gain the Protectorship; after which advancement, the Regency complimented him with the posts of Lord-Treasurer and Earl-marshal of England, and on the 11th of Februa ry, 1547-8, he was created Duke of Somerset. On the 13th of March, you have read (p. 26, Vol. IV.) that he obtained an enlargement of power, as Protector. In the Auguft following, he took a commiffion to be Ge

neral

and council in the April following. And that a thorough reconciliation might be effected between him and the Earl of Warwick, the Duke's daughter was married, on the 3d of June 1550, to the Lord Viscount Lifle, the Earl's fon; and the Earl of Warwick's ambition was tempted with the title of Duke of Northumberland. But we find, that Dudley, now Duke of Northumberland, accused Somerfet of a defign to raise the people and to kill him [Dudley,] the Marquis of Northampton, and the Earl of Pembroke, in the way to, or at dinner, with Lord Paget, in fo aggravating a manner that the King gave up his uncle entirely to their refentment; he was accordingly committed to the Tower in October 1551; was tried on the 1ft of December; found guilty of felony in intending to imprison the Duke of Northumberland; and on the 22d of January 1551-2, was beheaded on Tower-bill. And though it was generally believed, that the confpiracy for which he fuffered, was a mere forgery, he died with great ferenity; but his four friends, who were executed for the fame fact, protefted their innocence with their lat breath.

néral or Commander in chief in the Scotch expedition; which he executed with fo much content to the nation, that nothing feemed to be able to pre. judice him in their favour, but the unnatural contefts between him and his brother Thomas, Lord High-Admiral of England. The death of this Admiral, in March, 1548, drew great cenfures on the Protector. Thefe were induftrioufly propagated to his difadvantage by his enemies in church and state. Wriothefly, Earl of Southampton, and Dudley, Earl of Warwick, headed a faction against him in September 1549. Befides, his partiality to the Commons provoked the Gentry, and his palace in the Strand, erected on the ruins of feveral churches, and other religious buildings, in a time of war and peftilence, difgufted the clergy and people; who alfo abhorred his confent to the execution of his brother. To which we may add his adherence to the reformation, and enjoying some of the beft manors of the Bishops, were crimes never to be forgiven by the clergymen. His entertaining German and Italian troops, though it was by the confent of the Council, was used as an argument to ruin him in the esteem of the nation in general. And his arbitrary proceedings in the ftate drew upon him the hatred of all the Privy-counfellors except Archbishop Cranmer, Sir William Paget, and Sir Thomas Smith, Secretary of State. So that after the defperate attempt to fecure to himself the King's perfon, whom he removed, firft to Hampton-court, and then to Windfor, he was forced to fubmit to the Council, who, on the 14th of October 1549, committed him to the Tower, and in the January following, deprived him of all his offices; confifcated all his goods, and fined him in the fum of two-thousand pounds a year. However, he obtained a full pardon on the 16th of Feb. 1549-50, and he managed fo artfully with the King as to be brought both to court

likewife too great hafte to raise a vaft eftate, to be altogether innocent. But to balance thefe defects, he was never charged with perfonal vices, nor guilty of falfhood, of perverting juftice, of cruelty or of op• preffion."

After this character of the Protector, which is far from being not amiable; let us view the characters of his enemies, the Earl of Southampton and the Duke of Northumberland, Wriothefly, Earl of Southampton, was extremely ambitious, very conceited of his own merit, haughty, imperious, arbitrary, fuperftitious, cruel: and his religious principles being entirely repugnant to the reformation, his language was always bitter and offenfive, hot and paffionate, when religious matters came into debate. It is true he had made his confcience temporize with the innovations during King Henry's reign; but his attachment to the Romish fuperftition has been fufficiently animadverted in the affair of Anne Askew, in his project to ruin Queen Catharine Parr, and on many other occafions. Which cir cumstances were evident proofs that the reformers had nothing to expect from him, but continual oppofition in religious affairs; and made him capable of any attempt to ruin every bar to his project of wrefting the government into his own hands, and refto ring the ecclefiaftical power, &c. to the pope and his adherents. The lofs of the Chancellorship, and other difgraces he met with from the Protec tor's party at the beginning of this reign, was never to be pardoned. But he was ever fludying the keeneft revenge on the Duke of Somerjet, the fuppofed author of all his misfortunes; and therefore he no fooner perceived his antagonist decline in his popuJarity, but he ftrengthens his power by engaging the Earl of Waravick in a plot to cut of the Protector, whom this Nobleman alfo looked up

on to be an obstacle to his own prefer ment.

This Earl of Warwick was John Dudley, Son of Edmund Dudley, the notorious evil Counsellor to Henry the Seventh, who was put to death in the beginning of Henry the Eighth's reign (fee page 17, Vol. II.) Henry VIII, however, was pleafed, after he had facrificed the father to the refentment of the people, to dignify this his fon John, with the title of Lord Dudley, and afterwards with that of Viscount Lifle. The young favourite improved this happy revolution of his affairs by a diligent obfervance of the King's pleasure. He made a confiderable figure in thofe employments. at court with which he was entrusted, to the King's fatisfaction; and diftinguished himfelf fo remarkably by his bravery and conduct in the wars, that he was first made Governor of Boulogne, and afterwards Admiral of a fleet fitted a gainft France. He was, in a word, both a brave foldier, and an artful courtier: but of very indifferent mo, rals. He was exceffively addicted to his pleasures, and would fometimes run into exceffive debaucheries. was he very fcrupulous, with regard to honour and virtue; for as his ambiti, on was boundless, he did not stick at the worft of means to accomplish his ends; from whence we may readily fuppofe that he was not very fcrupulous in religious matters. While H. VIII, reigned, he kept ftrictly within the bounds prefcribed by that Prince. And he no fooner faw the majority in King Edward's Council for the reformati on, but he declared openly on their fide, as the only way to pleafe the King, and to advance his own fortune, But as his fcheme to make religion only a means to raise himself, was easi ly difcovered by the protestamt party, they never put any confidence in him nor would confent to his promotion to the Chancery, as he expected, upon the difgrace of Wriothefly. And,

Nor

therefore